Archive for the ‘Working Life’ Category
Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
I’ve quit from my designer job since end of last year and I’ve been freelancing since then. Due to my parents social networking, I can get some design job from their friend and maybe friend’s friends. Some of my friends who has less idea about freelancing always thought that I am very free staying at home doing nothing.
Some of them keep on asking me whether I have found a new job or not. Some even said that I can try hunting on San Francisco jobs. Hello? I have already mentioned that I am going to work at home, no matter what happen. I never say I want to look for a job in an office.
Mock up for the name card.
Then, I thought of making a name card for myself, so I can give it to other people. Well, hoping to gain more exposure and more client. But, as time goes by, I don’t think I can do much in Medan. No appreciation towards design and quotation is too low. Online job is way much better; be it writing or designing. But, I have faith in working at home. More projects is coming on the way. 
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
It is so scary to see how fast the time pass. It is end of May already and soon half of the year 2008 has gone. Let’s take some time to step back and see what we have done for the past one month, whether we are on the right track or not.
Let’s start with mine:
- I managed to maintain at least an entry per day or 2 days at Medan Daily and Dua Blogger. Dua Blogger has been around for a few months but May is the month with the most entries. Medan Daily is about one month only, there is 2 more probation months before I start to monetize it. It might finish the probation month in a shorter time though. Let’s see how it goes.
- Medan Daily finally has it’s Alexa rank at 30,031,550.
- Traffic for this blog has increased from last month. The other 2 blogs have organic traffic already. Yippie!
- Calculating all the income from here and there (paid and unpaid), it has hit my minimum target, which is the same amount of my previous salary. I still have some money for saving after pay the monthly cheap life insurance.
Next is to finish my wordpress theme, create a few niche blogs, and maintain the current blogs.
Monday, May 12th, 2008
It has been a long long time ago since I had an afternoon chat with this old friend of mine. Dunkin Donuts at Medan Mall used to be our favorite place. We can have more than 4 hours chat with a cup of hot chocolate and some doughnuts.
This is something that I can’t share or do with other friends. Perhaps we have more common from the background to the thinking. We don’t mind take a ride on becak, we don’t fond the night life, and so on.
Yesterday we spend some time at Cabe Rawit foodcourt (Sun Plaza). When we were on the working topic, she mentioned that she was so bore with the current life: go work, go back home, after few hours it is a new day and have to go to the office, and go back to the circle.
She even said that working overseas seems to be better than working in Medan (more ’song’). I clarify to her that what she sees is not what it is inside. Working overseas (in a big city) isn’t ’song’ at all. It is even worse than working in Medan.
It takes time to go to the working place because of the distance. We gotta leave home early in the morning and arrive home at night time. We still need to clean the house and do other housework. Wrinkles comes out and we will spend the weekend to read wrinkle cream reviews. While Medan is small hence we can arrive at home earlier before 7pm. We can relax after that without worrying about housework.
So, working life at overseas isn’t fun at all, at least for me. What fun is: they have more traveling and entertainment places compare to Medan. But until certain level, we will get bore with the places too. And then we will need a holiday to get out from the routine. But sadly the saving is not enough.
Sigh.
In the end of the day, it is still about Money.
Tags:
,
cabe rawit,
food court,
wrinkle cream
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
Most of the people has this mindset: designer (read: graphic designer) = messy. Even some of the designers-in-making (read: design student) and working designers agree with that mindset.
So often when I took a ride on their messy cars or went to their messy house/room, they would give this excuse,”Sorry, the place is so messy. Designer mah.” Wah, it is their attitude problem and they blame it for being a designer.
I had my first internship at O&M design department. The designers’ tables are always so messy one, with papers here and there. Alright, so there is a lot of work, but I won’t buy that lame excuse. If someone really put an effort, the place will still be clean and neat even though there is tons of work.
So far, all the designers that I’ve seen have a messy car or messy room or messy house or messy working table. Er, maybe Ron is an exception, working table quite tidy one. I think most of the designers is either sanguine or choleric.
Is there really no melancholy (organized and orderly) designer on this earth? Besides me. 
Tags:
choleric,
designer,
four temperaments,
melancholy,
sanguine
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008
Have you ever blog during working hours?
Blogging can be done anytime and anywhere. No matter how busy you are, as a blogger, you will definitely find time and a way to blog, including during the working hours.
I myself used to illegally blog from the office. 
Well, I do feel guilty for doing so. The company paid me to work for them and they gave me facilities to smoother the job. And I used the facility to do other thing for myself.
But I have overcome that feeling because most of the time I blog and surf the internet when I have finished my job. Read : I was so damn FREE, I have time to hit and kill the mosquitoes. And I didn’t surf for vinyl shutters.
“But you can help other staffs,”you may ask this. Sorry, I was a designer and the rest of the staffs were doing paper work, busy in their own world. Instead of helping, I might ruin everything.
Besides that, the payment wasn’t equal to the job, I told myself to maximize the usage of the facilities that was given to me. It didn’t affect my office work anyway. And, if I can earn money from other side while sitting in the office and being paid at the same time, why not? After all, this is a selfish world.
Well, If you want to blog during working hours, do it wisely and safely especially if your employer is very strict in using internet. You won’t want your freedom to be taken away. Alternative, blog during lunch hour.
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
It is a frustrating period. Waiting for the good news that ‘You are accepted’ or ‘Welcome on the board’.
The frustrating symptoms:
- Keep checking the mobile phone every minute every hour. Make sure that I don’t miss any call.
- Keep checking email. Feel deg deg deg when there 1 new message on the tab there.
- Asking myself the why how what and if questions.
As if it isn’t frustrating enough, friends keep on asking me wether I get the job or not. Add salt on the wound. -__-” I hate sign in to msn and friendster nowadays. Same old people asking same old question. No new topic then don’t bother chat, please. I won’t blame you for being so ignorant. For now, the best way to show your support is when you say nothing at all. The lyric of Ronan Keating’s song says it all.
There’s a truth
In your eyes
Saying you’ll never leave me
The touch of your hand says
You’ll catch me
Whenever I fall
You say it best
When you say
Nothing at all
While doing follow-up after the interview, I wish I can shop with Lillian Vernon coupons to release the stress. Meanwhile, think positive!
Saturday, January 5th, 2008
A: Hey, how are you? What are you doing now?
Me: Hey, fine. Freelance now. Work at home.
A: Oh, so now you are a ‘pengacara‘ huh? lol.
Note: Pengacara here doesn’t refer to lawyer but a short form of ‘PENGangguran bAnyak aCARA‘. -__-”
Since I quit from my job, this is the Q&A that I have to go through almost everyday when I meet people. Sien. Some people understand it and respect my decision. While some dumb stupid idiot fellows no, they just heard this FREE word and make a conclusion themselves.
Wei, FREElance doesn’t mean I work for free (no charge) or I am free and sit at home like a Tau Ke Nio (lady Boss) okay? I do have projects come in, I still earn money and I have a flexible working time. Don’t get jealous if I can go shopping on the weekday while you are so stress in the office and can’t wait for 5pm to go back home. Blek.
Work at home is not a crime, but some people just so allergic to these words. Freelance, work at home, whatever term it is, as long as it means someone is working from home, is like you are unemployed or no job. It’s either you own a shop/company or you work in an office with the boring fix office hour and monthly salary. The majority of the society can’t accept other options apart from these two. At least, this is what I think.
Well, freelance is my choice at the moment. Until I find what I want. 
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